It has been a month since I released my self published second novel, Journey’s End. As happy as I am, I cannot help but feel the struggle. I have only sold 4 books and marketing my book is very difficult. Self publishing can be very freeing for free spirits like myself. It allows me to get my thoughts out there, but that doesn’t mean it will be received at all. The comments from some of the readers have been positive. The issue is that I am unable to reach more readers.

The old Jasmine would have gone into a corner in her mind and wept, but I believe that anything is possible if you truly want something. I have reached out to local libraries and even a book expo for next year. I am not certain that it will help me become famous or known, but exposure is better than no exposure. I hope that the next few months and following year will allow me to broaden my horizons.

Until then, be sure to check out my sample chapters on this site. If you want to read more, please go to Amazon to purchase your kindle or physical copy!

Hello fellow readers. I have been working on my novel for three months now and it’s going well! I am currently on Chapter 10 and feel energized every week. Every Sunday I wake up at 8am and go to my local bookstore. There, I order a matcha frappuccino venti! Yes, it is quite yummy. Most of the time I just have that all morning. I find a seat in the large seating area and get my things ready. I put on my playlist to get into the mood for writing. Then I let my imagination take me where it wants to go. From 9am to 12pm I zone out and type away.

When I first thought about publishing my second novel, I procrastinated. I always thought too much and made excuses as to why I couldn’t finish. There was school, I had no drive, I had no money, blah blah blah. Yet, now that I kicked myself into gear, I can’t stop myself. I think all week about Sundays and what the future holds for my book. I feel this surge of energy in writing. As stated before, I am re-writing this book. It is somewhat different than the first draft.

The very original idea for this book stemmed from a thought I had eleven years ago while I was a camp counselor sitting in the most boring class. I was not particularly needed in this, reading class, so I let my mind drift. The idea was a young girl running though the woods. She was draped in long flowing fabric. The idea then kept sprouting and did its own thing. It actually built itself around that one thought. That is how most of my stories begin. A thought, a dream, or even a song can influence my work.

I am happy that I am re-writing my book. It is stronger than it was before. I am not saying it’s a best-seller, although that would be pretty sweet! I am just saying that I have grown as a writer, albeit just a tad. I am eager to finish in January so that I can copyright it and send it to an editor. From there I’ll either self publish or find an agent. Either way, 2017 is going to be my year!

So in the past month, I’ve been writing in my novel. I hope that my new found motivation to write weekly continues. I have been inspired by listening to a playlist in my ipod. It comprises of artists such as Kelis, Michael Jackson, Childish Gambino, BoA, Foo Fighters, Sade, Clipse, and a few others.

Music inspires me because it creates this feeling much like nostalgia. It pushes my creativity and makes it flow. I have been going to this wonderful place called Tsutaya in my town. I get there early like 9am to beat the rush of people. I get me a matcha frappuccino and sit in bliss. The goal is 3 hours. Last week I did two days back to back with 2 and a half hours each. Today, I did 3 full hours!

The downside of this is sitting for so long. If it weren’t for nerve issues within my back due to sitting too long then I would do about 5 hours! I was really going today and felt great! I notice that if I do this every week, then I could complete many chapters and make my goal of finishing by January!

I don’t want to push too hard as I don’t want garbage. Quality is key and re-writing my novel proves to be beneficial to fleshing out the story and characters.

I’m eager to have it published by April of next year. Then I can go back to my science fiction novel I started in 2005. I also have a horror novel and science horror novel I want to write. However, they must be on the shelf in my mind while I work on the current book.

I feel really good and unstoppable in my quest to accomplish my goals. Please stay tuned! Once I finish my current book and copyrite it, you bet your bottom dollar that I will have a few chapter samples for you to read before the finished product comes out!

This is my first published novel. I started writing it in 2005 at the age of 17. I didn’t finish writing it until early 2013 and published it a few months after that.

It is truly my baby and I have to say it wasn’t easy getting it out there. I self published without any help. Now that I look back on it, I can say that I am very proud of myself for sticking with my goal of being an author. No I’m not famous, but to hold a physical representation of something I had in my head several years ago… it makes me pretty darn accomplished!

I encourage all authors out there who don’t have an agent or publisher to not give up. Even if it’s not the best work you can put out there, it is something. Don’t let anyone, not even yourself, stop you from accomplishing your goals!